


Reaching

by Rosie_Rues



Series: The Rising Storm [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 1970, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-02
Updated: 2005-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-22 19:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/241501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie_Rues/pseuds/Rosie_Rues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In response to the <a href="http://royal-almost.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://royal-almost.livejournal.com/"><b>royal_almost</b></a> prompt - <i>tracing lines and feeling for something familiar</i>. The Black children at play. Pre-Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reaching

The cousins erupt into the silences of Grimmauld Place. Andromeda laughs, sneeringly, and murmurs something to her mother. Narcissa clings to her father’s hand, her eyes swollen with tears because she slipped coming out of the fireplace. Bellatrix roars forward and Sirius clatters down the stairs towards her, yelling, “Bell! Bell! Bell!”

Reggie, who is the youngest, wants to hide but his mother thrusts him out from behind her skirts, into the vast expanse of the hall. Everyone turns to look at him and he freezes, not knowing what he’s meant to say. There’s a long silence and then Andromeda says, “Oh, Regulus. I forgot about you.”

Everyone laughs and then the adults move away, their voices rumbling as they talk of the Ministry and young Malfoy and those dreadful Muggles. Reggie has never seen a Muggle but Sirius says they have poisoned fangs and claws so they can rip Pureblood’s hearts out. He says it again that evening, glancing sideways at Bella to see her reaction.

Bella, who has already spent a whole year at Hogwarts, giggles and says, “They’re just stupid.”

“Not as stupid as you babies,” Andromeda snaps.

“We’re not talking to you,” Bella says. “Andromeda the annoying.”

Reggie doesn’t see why that’s funny but Sirius laughs brayingly and so he laughs himself, a little too late. Bella looks at him and Narcissa giggles. Sirius rolls his eyes and says, “Brothers.”

Bella smiles at him and replies, “Sisters,” and Reggie knows that it’s happened again, like it does every summer. Bellatrix has stolen his brother.

The next day, they are inseparable. Narcissa and Regulus sit on the stairs, out of the way, and watch them whoop their way through the house. Kreacher emerges, muttering about “The young Master and Mistress Bella should not be undoing Kreacher’s so-hard work.” There’s a glint in his eye, though, and when Bella kicks him as she passes, Regulus thinks he sees tears of pride.

Eventually, they disturb the adults, who send Andromeda out to deal with them.

“I hate you all,” she snarls, her arms crossed over her chest. “Revolting little monsters.”

“Oh, go and write to your boyfriend, Miss Perfect Prefect,” Bella sneers.

Andromeda flushes and then goes pale. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“I’ve seen you,” Bella says, low and nasty. “So you’d better be nice to me or I’ll tell everyone all about him.”

Andromeda grabs her by the hair and twists. “You even think about it and I’ll hex you until your toenails bleed. You might think you’re good at the Dark Arts but I’m still older than you and I’m better.”

Sirius is watching wide-eyed but Regulus wishes he was somewhere else. He shifts uncomfortably and Narcissa, who has been fussing with her hair, whispers, “They’re always like this.”

Narcissa is only a year older than him, the same age as Sirius, and she’s the cousin he hates the least. So he dares to whisper back, “When do they stop?”

“When one of them hexes the other one.”

Reggie wishes it was the end of the summer and they were going home. It’s only just August, though, and he knows they’ve got weeks of this to come. He says to Narcissa, “I thought they weren’t allowed to use magic outside school.”

She sniffs, unimpressed. “Who’s going to tell on them? Daddy says it would serve them right if he reported them but I think he’s joking. He doesn't really care.”

Reggie is too astounded by the idea of parents who don’t care to reply. His memories are full of the swish of heavy skirt and the snap of raised voices, of whispered dares and laughter.

Sirius is kicking the wall, bored, as he watches Bella and Andromeda fight. The elves’ heads shudder on their plaques with every kick, as if they’re laughing silently. Andromeda swings round to face him and snaps, “Will you stop that?”

“Why should I?” he asks insolently. “It’s my house.”

“You’re just as bad as she is,” Andromeda hisses. “I hope you get Sorted into Hufflepuff.”

Sirius laughs, incredulous.

Andromeda snaps. “Get out! Get out! All of you! Out!”

“Where are we meant to go?” Bella asks, unconcerned, as Reggie shuffles back into the shadows. “You know we’re not allowed out of the house.”

“It’s a big house,” Andromeda says. “And I don’t care where you go as long as it’s somewhere I’m _not_!” She hisses a spell, bringing her wand down quickly. Reggie leans forward, trying to hear, but she’s too quick and too quiet for him.

Bella is already walking backwards, her face contorted with rage. Sirius lunges forward towards Andromeda but he too immediately starts backing towards the stairs.

Andromeda laughs and stalks away towards the library. She slams the door behind her and Reggie jumps.

Bella is coming up the stairs now, hissing counter-curses with every step. Reggie and Narcissa scramble out of her way but she lunges out as she passes, wrapping her fingers into Reggie’s hair. It hurts and he yelps, “Let go!” as she drags him upwards.

“Never,” she coos and yells, “Sirius! Get Cissa!”

Narcissa is better at dodging but she follows them meekly enough.

“Good girl,” Bella says, tossing her head so her hair fans out around her. “Where I go, we all go.”

“Blacks against the world,” Sirius adds enthusiastically. Reggie, his scalp throbbing, wishes secretly that he wasn’t a Black. He’d never say it out loud, though, not even to Narcissa, who wouldn’t tell.

To Reggie’s dismay Andromeda’s curse sends them all the way to the attics. He’s terrified of the attics. Sirius, who knows, shoots him a sympathetic grin as they turn up the stairs. For a moment Reggie hopes that maybe everything will be alright this year. Then they are through the hatch and into darkness.

“ _Lumos_ ,” says Bella and then, “Wow.” She lifts her wand and gazes out into the vast depths of the attics. The ghoul in the far corner moans in protest at the invasion. They can’t see him, for which Reggie is thankful, because of the piles of chests and broken furniture. The Blacks have lived here for generations and they’ve always been collectors. There’s a rocking-kappa whose eyes gleam a little too realistically; a tangle of broken mirrors rimmed with blackened glass; a cradle decorated with polished ebony skulls and the dusty, cracked bulk of a grandfather clock, its hands glowing faintly with the names of long-dead Blacks. It’s too dark for Reggie to see where the hands are pointing. There’s a chittering noise from the rafters which suggests a doxy infestation and Reggie is sure he can feel other eyes watching him from the shadows.

“Let’s explore,” Bella says, her eyes shining.

Sirius, who is still watching Reggie, shakes his head. “Nah. Let’s play gobstones.”

“Gobstones?” Bella repeats, as if he had offered to roast a puppy for her dinner.

“Or exploding snap? I think there’s a chess set up here somewhere.”

“Those are baby games. Are you scared?”

“No!” Sirius snaps, almost before she’s finished speaking.

“Well, then, let’s play something more interesting. Like hide-and-seek.”

“That’s more of a baby game,” Narcissa says. Her hair looks almost silver in the light from Bella’s wand, as if she’s a ghost.

“Not if we change the rules,” Bella says and smiles slowly.

Which is how Reggie ends up tied to the grandfather clock with the girls’ hair-ribbons, with Narcissa’s sash over his eyes. He’s meant to stop the others from reaching the clock by listening for them.

All he can hear is his own heart pounding.

Bella’s voice lifts high, somewhere behind him. “Here we come, ready or not.”

Then it’s all quiet again. The doxies are getting shrill and Reggie can hear something by his feet, gnawing steadily at the floorboards. He knows, after eight years in this house, that furniture can bite and that even more harmless things can mark you forever. He doesn’t dare reach out. He doesn’t know what’s out there.

There’s a slight noise to his right and he swings, grabbing. He feels a sleeve, or a cobweb, brush his fingers and then it’s gone. Behind him there’s the thud of footsteps and he jumps round to collide with a warm body.

He knows it’s Sirius because he’s laughing as they topple to the floor. For a moment they grapple with each other, as much as the ribbon will allow. It’s as if the cousins never came, like the rest of the year when it’s only the two of them and whichever tutor his mother has yet to scare away.

Then Narcissa calls out, “I’m home.”

Sirius bounces up and then pulls Reggie to his feet. “And I got caught so it’s my turn to be tied up!”

“No, it’s not,” Bella says flatly. “It’s still Reggie’s turn. He has to catch all of us.”

“That’s not in the rules,” Sirius says and his fingers tighten on Reggie’s arm.

“It’s in my rules,” Bella says.

“That’s not fair,” Narcissa observes.

Reggie is shivering. He doesn’t like it, this feeling that they’re dividing up his fate so coolly.

“Unless Reggie’s scared, of course.” Bella laughs.

“Of course he’s not.” Sirius sounds indignant. “Are you?”

He could say _yes_ and spend the rest of the summer alone and laughed at. Or he could take the test.

“No,” he says, a quaver in his voice. “I’m not scared.”

“See. I told you he wasn’t.” Sirius is triumphant.

Bella puts her hand on his shoulder and asks, “Can you prove it?”

“Yes,” he says because he can’t turn back now. Bella lifts her hands away and then pulls the sash from his eyes. He blinks at them all.

Sirius is standing beside him, half-anxious, half-proud. Narcissa is staring at him, her blue eyes wide, her lips pursed. He wonders what games these sisters play at home when Andromeda isn’t watching them.

“Go and check the stairs,” Bella says to Sirius. He rushes off and comes back grinning.

“I can get down. We can all get down.”

“We can, yes. Reggie’s staying here.”

“What?” That’s Sirius. The words have clogged in Reggie’s throat.

“Don’t say what,” Narcissa says sweetly. “Say pardon.”

Bella is circling. “That’s all he has to do to prove he’s not scared. Stay here until one of us comes to get him.”

“We can untie him, though, can’t we?” asks Narcissa.

Bella shrugs. “If you want. If he leaves without permission, though, he’s lost.”

Sirius is looking between her and Reggie. Reggie understands. It’s like the choice between doing what Sirius does and what his mother orders.

“It’s okay,” he says.

Bella grins and hugs him. “See. You’re a real Black.”

Reggie wants to point out that she’s only a cousin but she’s taking the ribbons off and he’s too grateful.

The others leave. Sirius gives him a troubled look as he hesitates at the top of the stairs but Reggie smiles at him and he goes, seemingly satisfied. Reggie wishes everything could be solved that easily. Bella is the last to leave and it isn’t until she starts downstairs that he realises she has the only light with her. He almost cries out that he’s changed his mind but he doesn’t want to admit it to her and Sirius has already gone.

He squeezes his eyes shut, as if it would make it seem less dark. Everything seems louder now – the ghoul muttering vilely in the corner and the skitter of claws across the floorboards.

He’s sure they won’t be very long. It’s just a test.

Something flutters by his ear and he jumps sideways, knocking into a chunky pile. With a crash, the pile slithers down around him. Chair legs and picture frames batter him and something he suspects is very expensive breaks with a tinkle.

He won’t cry because Bella’s going to come back soon and he doesn’t want her to see his tears.

Now his eyes are open he can tell that it isn’t completely dark. A few thin beams shine through. Obviously, the roof tiles are slipping again. He’s used to the sound of them crashing down whenever the wind blows too hard. His father likes to watch people try to dodge them.

They still haven’t come back.

He could probably feel his way to the stairs. He imagines the feel of the rail under his hand. It’s polished but dusty, like the whole house. He imagines clinging to it as he starts down the stairs, feeling the delicate carvings under his palm. He doesn’t move, though, although he wishes he was over there, tracing lines and feeling for something familiar. He can’t give up that easily, though. The thought of Bella's scorn pins him in place.

After a while his feet begin to hurt and he sits down on the pile, feeling it creak and resettle under his weight. He can feel the tears gathering in his eyes and so he scowls, forcing them back.

The light is beginning to fade and the ghoul has gone quiet. He imagines it gliding out of its corner, reaching for him with long fingers. The thought makes him choke back a sob and he shoves his arm against his mouth to muffle it.

It’s completely dark now. Have they forgotten him?

Sirius wouldn’t. Sirius would come back for him. He wants to believe that but a little part of him isn’t so sure. He knows Sirius is careless with his toys. Why wouldn’t he break his brother too?

He can’t remember which way the stairs are any more. The idea of getting lost up here makes him sit still. There’s a corner of a picture frame by his elbow and he clings to it, as if he might be pulled deeper into the darkness if he doesn’t have an anchor.

He doesn’t know how late it is. He’s hungry, his stomach twisted, so he knows he’s missed dinner. He’s afraid they’ve gone to bed and forgotten him. He doesn’t want to be here all night.

But if he runs, Bella’s won.

So he stays.

Something or someone is breathing just behind him, soft, heavy breaths. He knows it’s the ghoul but that doesn’t make it any better.

Especially when it chuckles.

He’s not even pretending not to cry any more.

It’s a very long time before he hears the clatter of footsteps on the stairs.

Andromeda bursts into the attic, dragging Sirius behind her. She lifts her wand, banishing the ghoul, and then dives towards Reggie. Her face is bright with fury.

“Are you okay?” she demands.

He nods and says stiffly, “I’m fine.”

“I’m going to kill Bella. I’m actually going to kill her this time. How long have you been here?”

Reggie shrugs and Sirius says, very subdued “Since you banished us.”

She looks down on him and says coldly, “You mean you waited ten hours before you decided to tell me?”

“Bella told me-“

“And if Bella told you to kiss a Dementor, would you? Reggie, it’s okay. Come downstairs.”

“No,” Reggie whispers and presses his fingers around his picture frame. He has to wait for one of them. He doesn’t think Bella will count Andromeda. He has to prove he’s brave.

Sirius is staring at him. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he says, all in a breath, “I say you’re allowed.”

Reggie nods and stands up. His feet have gone to sleep and he stumbles as he climbs free. Andromeda picks him up and she’s warm, even though she looks like Bella. He hadn’t realised how cold he was.

He lets her carry him downstairs, even though he’s too old for it. It doesn’t matter. He’s won.

He’s brave enough.


End file.
